Signs have been used in various ways to convey information to consumers. Such signs include billboards along roads, signs in front of businesses, and menus at restaurants. With the advances in computer display technology, many of the traditional static signs have been replaced with digital displays capable of displaying a constantly changing output.
Such digital displays have been very beneficial in many environments because they are easily updated. For example, when static signs are used, the sign must be physically modified to update its display. In contrast, digital signs can be updated by outputting a different multimedia signal to the display. With the internet, such updates can be performed from virtually any location in the world.
Although digital signs may be preferred in many environments, current computing systems present various barriers that prevent upgrading to digital signs. For example, in many environments, a standard flat panel display attached to a personal computer may be adequate for displaying a desired sign or other content. However, in other environments, such configurations may be excessive in both cost and complexity.
As an example, many restaurants, such as fast food restaurants, display their menu both inside the store and outside (e.g. in the drive through). Oftentimes, such restaurants update the menu various times each day (e.g. for breakfast and lunch/dinner). Traditionally, these menus have been updated by physically moving (e.g. turning, sliding, etc.) a portion of the menu. Such signs can be difficult/costly to update because generally an entire portion of the sign must be updated. However, a restaurant may not desire to utilize a digital sign because of the initial cost of the equipment, and the difficulty of updating the display.
Specifically, when a typical personal computer or similar type computer is used to generate a multimedia output for display on a digital display device, it may be excessively difficult for many of the employees to update the display (e.g. when the employees are not skilled with computers, or do not have the time to interact with a personal computer to update the display). Also, a personal computer may occupy excessive space within the restaurant. Accordingly, current approaches to providing digital signs have not been adequate in such environments.